We've both got Burrows DNA
by onetinynaylor
Summary: When Serena hits Jasmine, and Jac is the only person there to pick up the pieces, can the sisters forge a relationship?
1. Chapter 1

The scene in Serena's office with Jac made me wonder what might have happened if Jac found Jasmine after Serena had hit her, so here is my imagining of it! Reviews much appreciated!x

Jasmine burst through the door to the toilets, and stopped short at the sinks. She turned to run the taps but paused at the sight of herself. The welt from Serena's hand was reddening before her eyes. Jasmine gripped the edge of the sink to stop her hands from shaking and squeezed her eyes shut. She could see Serena's hand flying towards her, and wondered why she hadn't moved out of the way, tried to dodge it. Hindsight is a marvellous thing.

She opened her eyes, and stared down at the taps. She'd never been hit that hard by anyone before. And for it to have been her boss dealing the blow was mortifying. Not just for Jasmine, but for Serena. The visible mark on Jasmine's face would be incriminating. It was physical evidence that screamed 'Serena isn't coping'.

Jasmine switched on the cold tap, and ran her fingers through the stream of water, one by one, playing with it like a child. She should have realised when Serena had pushed her. It had been a shock, but she wasn't hurt, so she continued to defend herself. It was her fault. She'd pushed a grieving woman too far.

She cupped her hands together to collect some water, and splashed handful after handful into her face. The shock of cold stung her burning cheek.

As she looked up from the sinks to the mirror, the door slammed open. Jasmine turned, still gripping the sinks, and came face to face with her sister.

Jac stopped short in the doorway, and took in the droplets caught in Jasmine's eyelashes; the way she was gripping onto the sinks as if to stop herself from collapsing; the pallor of her skin. She was used to bumping into Jasmine around the hospital; that was part and parcel of sharing a workplace. She was even getting used to watching Jasmine explode emotionally on various different wards – Jac still felt a sliver of shame run down her spine when she thought about the dispute on Darwin – and to watching her cry. But she was not used to seeing Jasmine with an angry red mark on her cheek. Jac had experienced enough slaps in her lifetime to know exactly what she was looking at.

"It was Serena, wasn't it?"

Jasmine was glad that Jac had broken the silence. She'd been trying to work out how she could explain it away, and while it crushed her that Jac had immediately suspected Serena, there was no longer any point in trying to lie.

"Yes. But I provoked her."

Jac folded her arms and briefly smirked "I don't doubt it."

Jasmine looked away, clocked her white knuckles gripping to the porcelain, and let go of the sinks. She stood up straight and turned to the door.

"Let me look at it." Jac said.

Jasmine walked past her, unconsciously touching her stinging cheek with her fingertips. Jac reached out and grabbed her elbow.

"Jasmine."

Jasmine shook her off.

"No, I'm fine!"

She reached for the handle, and opened the door slightly, but Jac reached out a hand and forced it shut.

"Don't make me trap you in here."

"Is that not what you're doing now?" Jasmine muttered.

Jac leaned towards her, dabbing the water droplets away from her face with a paper towel, Jasmine wincing under her touch.

"That's nasty. She must have been furious."

"Yeah, well. I resigned."

Jac dropped the paper towel to the floor, all thoughts of the injury forgotten.

"You did what?"

"I'm sick of trying to impress her and failing. I'm sick of being treated like dirt, and I keep thinking about how I've just screwed everything up here, with Morven, and Serena, and you, and all that stuff with Ric, and Isaac…so I might as well just go."

Jac picked up the paper towel and threw it in the bin, before rounding on Jasmine and crossing her arms.

"That is the most pathetic thing I've ever heard."

"Look, I don't need your validation, your _approval_ , to resign. It's my life. Up until now you've wanted nothing to do with me, so what gives you the right to criticise my choices?"

Jac gave Jasmine another infuriating half smirk, and shrugged.

"I didn't say not to do it. I just said it was pathetic. Now," Jac started pacing down the row of cubicles and back again. "I'm no psychologist, but that tells me that you don't really want to resign. You're trying to project it onto me, and that's fine, if that's how you want to deal with it."

Jasmine closed her eyes. Jac was possibly the most irritating woman she had ever come across.

"But at least have the courage to admit that you don't want to leave."

Jasmine opened her eyes and regretted it immediately. Jac was standing right in front of her, in her personal space, and was staring at her, unblinkingly.

"What do you want, Jasmine?"

Jasmine looked Jac in the eyes. And immediately felt her own fill with tears. She reached up to wipe them away, and was shocked to feel Jac take her hand. It was a connection that Jasmine had been craving, she realised. She just hadn't known it.

"Listen," Jac said "You need to work out exactly what you want to do. If you want to take some time out, that's fine. If you want to move somewhere else, that's okay. But the best thing you can do is stay. Resilience is what made me a good doctor, and it will be what makes you a good doctor too."

Jasmine took a deep breath and nodded, as Jac continued.

"Take a week off; find somewhere else to live. I spoke to Morven, by the way, and I know you've been living in the on call room. That's not healthy, you need an escape from this place. If you really need to, you can stay in my spare room for a few days. Once you've found somewhere, call your friends and do some socialising, with _normal_ people who don't work in the medical profession. Watch Netflix, go to the gym, do some baking, whatever people like you do for fun. This is _basic_ self-care, Jasmine."

Jasmine desperately tried to remember the last time she'd done something that wasn't directly work related, and failed.

"Point taken. I do have a question, though. Why are you doing this?"

"What, telling you to move out of the on-call room?" Jac snorted and dropped Jasmine's hand. "Because I'd be a terrible consultant if I didn't make sure the on-call room is a facility available to anyone when needed."

"No, I mean…you know, offering me your spare room, telling me to watch Netflix. Why are you helping?"

Jac reached for the door.

"Because whether I like it or not, we're half-sisters, and it reflects badly on me as a person if I don't look out for you. Now. I'm going to see Hanssen"

Jasmine opened her mouth to protest, but Jac put up a hand "Before you start shouting like an overemotional teenager, remember that I'm following protocol, and also remember that your mentor hit you across the face because you tried to resign. You can either let me sort it, or you can come and fight your corner. It's up to you."

Jac gave Jasmine a quick smile and stepped over the threshold into the hallway. The door swung shut behind her, and Jasmine stood for a few seconds smiling to herself, before shaking out her hair, wiping her face, and following her sister to Hanssen's office.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews! It was just going to be a one-shot but I started thinking about how Jasmine might cope spending a night in Jac's house, and this is where it took me. Hope you enjoy! It will be continued.**

Jasmine was queuing for a coffee, and for the dregs of whatever baked goods were left at 6pm, in Pulses. It had been the strangest day. She'd been attacked by Serena, helped – _helped_ – by Jac, asked Hanssen to disregard her complaint against Serena, and, after a frantic, and frankly terrifying, search, she'd made peace with a very tipsy Serena on the roof. Thinking about it made Jasmine's head spin. How the hell had there could there have been so many different emotional situations in the space of a twelve hour shift?

The barista handed Jas her latte and the last, sad blueberry muffin, and she turned to leave. The foyer wasn't empty (in a hospital it never is) but she liked this time of the evening. The sky was an interesting shade of lilac outside, and people were leaving after their shifts. This was the bit Jas liked the most – people watching. Once the scrubs and trainers were ditched, she thought, you could see the real person behind the job. Like the paeds registrar who wore band t-shirts and ripped jeans, or the HCA from the ED who wore clip-in pink hair extensions and platform heels.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the dropping of a briefcase onto the bar in front of her.

Jac.

"Hi. You ready?"

Jac swung her hair over one shoulder and raised an eyebrow at Jasmine.

"Oh shit," Jasmine blushed and looked down "I forgot you'd offered, I was just going to take my muffin and retreat to the ward to do some work."

Jac gave Jasmine a look that was somewhere between pity and distaste.

"Don't be ridiculous, you've not properly stopped working in weeks."

Jasmine shook her head, and turned to leave.

"Honestly Jac, it's fine, I've got paperwork to do, and –"

Jac walked round and stood directly in front of Jasmine.

"Don't forget what I said earlier. Basic. Self. Care." She said in a low, quiet voice.

Jasmine felt irritated. She was a grown adult woman, and she could take care of herself.

"This is self-care," Jasmine replied, defiantly "I'm eating my favourite muffin,"

"That muffin is the reject muffin. It's the runt of the litter."

"Just like me. Maybe we're kindred spirits." Jasmine felt herself becoming more and more wound up. Meanwhile, Jac was smirking at her.

"Jasmine will you just come with me? I'm not going to murder you in your sleep, I'm not going to poison your dinner. I just want to try and help you."

"Why?" Jas hissed "Why now?"

Jac looked Jasmine squarely in the face, and replied "I have no idea. But surely an offer of help with no explanation is a better deal than what you had before?"

Jasmine felt herself crumbling. Jac's consultant salary would hopefully mean she had a nice house, and a comfy bed, and a clean, tasteful bathroom, and decent food.

"Okay," she said quietly "I just need to grab my stuff."

And with that, Jasmine trailed silently after Jac to the on-call room.

The journey to Jac's house had been completely silent. Jac had bundled Jas's belongings into the boot, and Jas had subsequently sat in the front seat of the BMW feeling as though she was too grubby and too poor to be there. Jac had made no effort at starting a conversation, and also had made no attempt to kill the awkward silence with music, so Jas sat silently, twisting her hands together and staring out the window.

As they pulled up to Jac's tall Victorian semi, Jasmine drew a deep breath. This was the first time Jac had let her anywhere near her home life, and she was about to be thrown in the deep end.

Jac unlocked the door and flicked on the hall lights, and Jas found herself in an entrance with polished wood floorboards and soft, pale grey walls. Tasteful and plain, as she'd expected, but surprisingly homely, with photos of a small child adorning the wall up the stairs, and tiny little wellies perched by the door.

Jasmine watched as Jac opened a cupboard and hung up her belongings, and followed her through to the open-plan kitchen and living space. It had been extended out the back and had skylights and enormous glass windows at the end. Jasmine could only imagine how bright the space would be during the day.

Jac turned and spoke for the first time since they'd left the hospital.

"I don't have much food in, I need to do an Ocado order, but I do have a jar of pesto and a cupboard full of pasta if you're interested?"

Jasmine had abandoned the reject muffin back at the hospital, and was bordering on ravenous.

"At this point I'll eat anything."

"Okay, well. Good."

Jas watched while Jac filled a pan with water and set it on the hob, and then began to take in the finer points of the space. She dumped her bags in a corner, slipped off her trainers, and began to wander.

She noticed the paintings and drawings on the fridge, with neat, adult handwriting explaining what was in the picture. She noticed the alphabet magnets that spelled out Emma's name. She noticed the white Stokke child chair at the big dining table, and the daffodils in a vase in the middle. She noticed how the kettle and the toaster were both matching, shiny red Morphy Richards appliances, and wondered if Jac had a hoover that matched them. She noticed the toy box in the lounge area, open and overflowing with toys, and the train set laid out on the rug.

"Where is Emma?" Jas asked, still walking round.

"She's with her dad tonight, but she'll be back tomorrow." Jac was busying herself with draining pasta and chopping up salad so she didn't have to watch Jasmine. The curiosity on her face just killed Jac. It was like Jasmine was at a museum, but it wasn't a museum, it was Jac's home, and she couldn't help but feel as though she was being scrutinized and invaded.

Jac was quickly summoned from her thoughts at the sound of smashing glass. She dropped the knife, which clattered to the tiled floor, and spun round to see the damage.

"What are you doing?" Jac shouted, louder and angrier than she had intended.

Jas looked like a rabbit caught in headlights. At her feet was a glass bowl and a pile of pot pourri.

"For God's sake, my three year old knows not to touch breakable things."

Jac grabbed a dustpan and brush from under the stairs and handed them to Jas.

"Clean it up."

Jas bent down and began sweeping. She felt the red stain she'd been trying to evade sweep across her cheeks. She'd been in Jac's house five minutes and she'd already broken something. Jas could feel the waves of irritation flowing from her sister, and wanted the floor to open up and swallow her. This was not ideal at all.

"Just make sure you've got it all. The last thing I need is a toddler with shards of glass in her hands and feet."

Jas nodded and emptied the dustpan into the bin, carefully placing it back in the cupboard. Jac had set two places at the table, with two bowls of pasta and salad, and two glasses of water.

Jas sat down in the empty seat.

"This looks great Jac, and I'm so sorry about the bowl."

Jac looked at her food for a nanosecond, before turning to Jasmine with a forced smile "It's fine. Don't worry about it."

The meal passed with the same crippling silence as the car journey, although Jas had noticed the Bang and Olufson sound system, and wondered if Jac was deliberately trying to make it awkward. Once they'd finished, Jac cleared the table, stacked the dishwasher, and turned to Jas with another forced smile.

"Shall I show you to your room?"

Jasmine nodded, picked up her belongings, and followed Jac up the stairs. The hallway was the same tasteful shade of soft grey, but the spare room was completely white. It was big, with a tall window facing out the back, and the extension roof was just a clamber away. The bed had a cast-iron frame, and white waffle bedding, and furniture was all dark brown and matching. The only item with any particular colour to it was a painting on the wall that Jas vaguely recognised.

"Is that the picture from Grandad's house? The one in the dining room?"

"Yes," Jac shifted from foot to foot awkwardly "He sent it to me not long after our encounter at the house, as a peace offering."

Jas set down her bags on the bed and began to open them.

"All the drawers are empty, but there are a few things in the wardrobe. Actually, it's mostly clothes I don't wear much anymore, so if you need to borrow anything, take it from there. There are towels in the airing cupboard in the bathroom, and you can help yourself to the toiletries. If you want the Wi-Fi code, it's on the router downstairs by the front door. If you need anything, just ask."

Jasmine stifled a smile as Jac spoke. She was reeling off instructions like it was a hotel.

"Thanks Jac."

Jac smiled briefly and left, leaving Jasmine alone to sort herself out.

She unpacked her few belongings, and made a mental note to move her things out of Morven's flat ASAP. She showered, using Jac's fancy shampoo and conditioner, and some posh moisturising shower cream, and dried herself with an enormous fluffy towel. She had no clean pyjamas, and so raided Jac's unwanted clothes for a big black t-shirt and some grey leggings, and settled down with her MacBook to search Rightmove.

After about an hour of fruitless searching, Jas found an ad on Gumtree for a roommate in a flat a ten minute walk from the hospital. She messaged the poster, shut down her laptop, and padded downstairs for a drink.

Jac was curled up on the squashy grey sofa, swamped by a blanket, clutching a TV remote. A trashy American cop comedy was blaring from the TV, and as Jasmine's eyes adjusted to the dim lamplight, she noticed that Jac was asleep.

Jas poured herself a glass of water from the fridge dispenser, adding crushed ice just for the hell of it, and contemplated her next move. She liked Brooklyn 99, and she could see there was an armchair she could sit on. But would Jac think it was weird?

Jac opened one eye and watched her sister stand in the middle of the room, dithering. Her heart went out to her.

"Want to watch too?"

"Oh," Jasmine said, with obvious relief "You're awake."

"I am now," Jac yawned and stretched "The fridge makes a noise like a tree shredder when it's crushing ice."

Jas laughed nervously as she perched on the armchair "Sorry. It's just fridges that dispense ice are a novelty for an impoverished F1 like me."

Jac chuckled, which alarmed Jasmine slightly.

"Have you started looking for a flat yet?"

Jas nodded "I messaged this guy who I found on Gumtree about a roommate ad he posted. Hopefully that'll work out. It's the only thing I could find cheap enough."

Jac screwed her face up from under her blanket and waved the remote at Jas "No no no no don't look at Gumtree ads, any old criminal or pervert can post on there. I'd rather you lived in my spare room for a while than put yourself at risk."

"I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Well," Jac shrugged "You can stay as long as you need, anyway. And you can move your stuff into the spare room from your old place if you want."

"Thanks, I will." Jas shot Jac a smile, and they both lapsed into silence to watch the show. Jasmine could not believe the difference between work Jac and sleepy Jac. Sleepy Jac was all cheekbones and messy red hair peeking out from under a blanket, and had a much more expressive face, and was far less snippy. And above all, sleepy Jac was more vulnerable and more real. Jasmine hoped that sleepy Jac would be around more, if only to make her less nervous.

"I really love this show," Jas started chatting. She wanted to make the most of sleepy Jac. "I think Boyle is probably my favourite."

"Ugh, God no." Jac sat up and turned herself so she was facing the TV properly "He's a bumbling, spineless moron."

"He's a nice person." Jas corrected "And he'd never dream of hurting any of the others."

"Captain Holt is my favourite, I'd say. He takes no shit, and isn't emotional about it."

"Yeah that explains a lot," Jas muttered, sipping her water.

Jac narrowed her eyes at her.

"We can't all be Boyle."

"Yes, but we also can't all be Holt."

"Do you think I'm Holt-ing you? You're judging me for not being emotional, while you're busy emoting all over the place and crying in the middle of AAU?"

Jasmine crossed her legs underneath her. Only with Jac could a conversation about TV turn into an argument this personal.

"That's not what I said."

"That's what you meant."

"Look, can we save this for another time?"

"No," Jac shot back, as Jasmine's heart sank. "We're doing this now."

"Alright, fine." Jas said "Why don't you like it when people show emotion?"

"I just think some things should be private."

"For God's sake Jac, we work together, and we're sisters, it was never going to be private"

"We work in the same hospital. We do _not_ work together."

"See, you're doing it again. You're putting up your defences."

Jac paused as she was about to reply. Jasmine was red in the face and looked upset. Her arms were folded defiantly, and her whole demeanour screamed rejection. Jac couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

"I'm doing this to protect you." She said, quietly.

"It's a shitty way of going about it, Jac. You keep trying to push me away, and it's unfair. I'm not asking for us to be friends, I just want to know someone is there, someone to look out for me."

"Ah, well. I have been looking out for you. You're here, aren't you?"

"I know, and I'm grateful, but every offer of help seems to result in you pushing me away a bit more. Like you have to make up for being nice to me by being a bitch."

Jac laughed, catching Jasmine by surprise.

"Look. One day, I'll explain properly. But for now, just know that this whole 'sister' thing makes me very uncomfortable. I've spent years trying to bury my childhood in the sand, and you turned up and shattered everything I'd known which had helped me do that. I didn't even know you existed until a few years ago, and I had built up this whole defence around myself based on Paula not being able to parent anyone. But she managed to parent you. And I'm still trying to come to terms with it."

Jac stood, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders.

"I'm going to bed. Here's the remote, carry on watching if you like."

Jasmine caught the remote as Jac threw it to her, and looked down at the floor as she left.

"Night" Jac called from the stairs.

Jas didn't bother replying. And Jac, she noticed from the continuing footsteps, clearly didn't care whether she had or not.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry this took so long, and sorry it's not great! Because I intended that this would be a oneshot, I'm struggling to find a vision for where to take it, so any ideas or suggestions would be more than welcome!x**

When Jasmine woke up the following morning to sunlight streaming through the blinds, she felt sweaty, like she'd somehow overheated in the night. Once she sat up, it became abundantly clear that the reason she felt so sweaty was because she'd not stopped moving. Two of the pillows had ended up on the floor, the duvet was coiled round her legs, and the sheet had come away in one corner and was caught on the leggings which Jas assumed she must have wriggled out of in her sleep.

Jas shook her hair out and rubbed her eyes, before blindly reaching across to the bedside table for her phone. 6.43 am. Her shift didn't start until 10, so she opened up her windows to let some air in, tucked the sheet back in, picked up the pillows and straightened the duvet, before climbing back into bed. She had the best part of three hours to herself; she could hear the shower going in the bathroom next door so that surely meant that Jac would be off to the hospital soon. She could read the news, maybe watch something on Netflix to ease her into the day, before having a bath. This was how mornings were meant to be.

It was such a nice plan, Jas had thought. What a way to start the day! But she hadn't taken into account her inability to sit still for more than 5 minutes, and so it didn't take long for Jas to get bored flicking through Twitter on her phone, and for her stomach to begin grumbling with all the force of an earthquake. She slipped out of bed and padded downstairs to the kitchen to make breakfast. As she walked past the island to look out at the garden (was that really artificial grass?), she noticed a figure in black trousers and heels crouched by the bin.

Jac turned as she heard Jas walk in, and looked round to say good morning, only to be met with completely bare, starkers as far up as she dared to look, legs.

"Oh my god!" Jac shouted, hastily slapping a hand over her eyes. "Are you walking around my house naked? This is NOT a nudist colony! For crying out loud, put some clothes on!"

Jas looked down and realised she had only Jac's big black t-shirt on, and then paused. Should she laugh it off or be miffed that her freshly shaved legs were such an offence to Jac?

She looked down at Jac's horrified face, covered by a hand, while her other hand scrabbled around the floor, searching for something, and chose the former.

"You should be so lucky," Jas reached over and pried Jac's hand away from her face. "It's your t-shirt and I'm wearing underwear anyway. What you looking for?"

Jac shot Jasmine a sarcastic look before replying "You're shorter than me, that top doesn't cover my arse. Anyway, I'm looking for a contact lens, I dropped it as I tried to put it in and I think it's behind the bin."

Jac started scrabbling around on the floor again, while Jas peered into the bin. Right there, clear as day, perched on the top of an upturned yoghurt pot, was a contact lens.

"It's in the bin, Jac, not behind it."

"Oh fuck the nation," Jac stood (with an impressive amount of grace for someone in stilettos, Jas noted) and brushed some imaginary dust from her immaculate trousers. "They were my last pair, now I'm stuck with glasses."

Jasmine had noticed a pot of what looked like fresh coffee in the cafetiere, so she rounded the kitchen island and poured herself a mug full.

Jac's expression soured "That's mine, I literally just made that."

"Sorry," Jas gave Jac a cheeky grin, before taking a big gulp. "So what's wrong with wearing the glasses? Do they not suit you? Or is it that they don't match your scrubs?"

Jac reached out quickly and snatched the mug away from Jasmine, before sipping delicately from the opposite side.

"You know I'm not diseased," Jas rolled her eyes "You're not going to catch anything from a mug I've had one sip from."

"As a doctor, you should know you're talking bollocks, the human mouth is full of bacteria." Jac drained the mug and dumped it in the sink. "And the glasses is just basic patient awareness. Who would trust a doctor wearing glasses to perform delicate heart surgery? Glasses are akin to a tattoo on your forehead that says 'I'm blind'."

Jas shrugged and turned to the fridge.

"Don't get your hopes up," Jas spun around to see Jac raising her eyebrows at her "There's no eggs, no avocado, no smoked salmon or whatever millennials like to eat for breakfast. There might be some cornflakes if you're lucky."

Jasmine yanked the milk from the door of the fridge and forced on her sunniest smile. Jac could kill any good mood instantly and effortlessly.

"Then cornflakes it is."

Jac strode over to the hallway, snatching keys, a phone, a bag and a jacket from the various chairs and side tables where they resided, before turning to Jas.

"I'm at work until 5, and then I've got to go and pick Emma up from nursery. I take it from your attire that you're not starting until later, so I'll leave some dinner out for when you're back."

Jas nodded and smiled, still clutching the milk "Okay, thanks Jac, have a good-"

She was interrupted by the slamming of the front door.

"-day."


	4. Chapter 4

Jas turned back to the kitchen, but, inexplicably, all pangs of hunger had vanished. She still found herself baffled by Jac's attitude sometimes. So what, she dropped a contact in the bin? There was no need to take it out on Jasmine. If Jac didn't want her around, then she shouldn't have invited her to stay.

Giving up on breakfast (Jac could even ruin food – who knew?), Jas ran the deepest bath she'd had in a long time, pulled her hair into a messy bun, and climbed in. The water was that temperature where it's so hot you have to ease yourself into it slowly, to adjust, like the opposite of a cold swimming pool. It was that temperature that meant that when she raised a leg out of the water, it steamed gently. It was perfect.

Jas lay there looking round the bathroom for a while. She'd clocked a load of plastic trains that obviously belonged to Emma, and found herself momentarily approving of her sister for not forcing gendered toys onto her. She looked at the Johnson baby shampoo and soap, and opened it to smell it. She clocked the row of expensive skincare and perfume bottles on the shelves above the sink. Chanel No 5, Chloe, Lancôme, La Mer. And she clocked an open cupboard door next to the toilet with a box of Tampax spilling out of it.

And right then, at that moment, Jasmine realised that she hadn't bought tampons in a while. She realised that she couldn't actually remember the last time she'd even needed them. Her heart seized with a sudden shock of fear, and even in her steaming hot bath, she felt something cold run down her spine.

 _Pregnant._

Pregnant? Could she really be pregnant? Jasmine screwed her face up in the effort to recall the last time she'd had sex (it should not be that difficult - clearly she was doing something wrong, she thought wryly) and realised with a jolt that it was a good few months ago.

With none other than Oliver Valentine.

Jasmine jumped up out of the bath, scrabbled for a towel, and called into work.

"Hi, Bernie, yeah it's Jasmine, look I'm really sorry but I need to take a sick day, I'm feeling awful. I think it must be Norovirus…yeah absolutely, 48 hours, of course….thanks Bernie."

Hanging up, she dropped the phone onto the bed hurriedly, pulled on a pair of jeans, an old Nike sweatshirt, and some pale pink Superstars, and left the house.

She stopped short at the end of Jac's driveway. She had no idea where she was; she was unfamiliar with Holby at the best of times, and this was an area she'd not visited before. She had no idea where the nearest pharmacy was.

Jas sunk down onto the kerb and dropped her head into her hands. This was ridiculous. There was no way she could be pregnant. She had no money, no time. She was on the pill for Christ's sake!

An elderly man walked past Jas, and stopped short at the sight of a messy looking girl with her head in her hands, sitting on the pavement in a very respectable part of town.

He gave her a sharp tap with the end of his walking stick. Jasmine jumped out of her skin.

"Er, excuse me?"

"You're sat on the pavement." He frowned down at her "We don't do that round here. I'll have to inform the Neighbourhood Watch, and then just you wait."

Jasmine stared at him. He really was very old. Tissue paper skin, flat cap, brown corduroy trousers, old man shoes. He reminded her of her grandad towards the end of his life; permanent frown, never satisfied with anything, always arguing with Paula.

Jasmine stood, pointedly ignoring the man, and brushed the dirt from her jeans, before turning back to the house and let herself in. She kicked off her shoes in the hallway and walked through to the kitchen, perching herself on a stool at the island. Right there in front of her was Jac's Macbook.

Jas reached over and slowly pulled it towards her. She flipped it open, saw that Jac's password filled in with the automaticity she'd been hoping for, and hit the enter key.

Jac's web browser popped open, showing her emails. Jas contemplated having a read to see what was going on in Jac's life, but then decided against it. The last thing she wanted was Jac thinking she'd snooped on her.

Jas opened Google and then sat waiting for it to tell her what to search for. _Am I pregnant_? _Pregnancy Symptoms. Pharmacy near me. Most accurate pregnancy test._ On and on she searched.

It was as Jas was scanning the maps page that she'd opened to find the nearest pharmacy that it occurred to her to check Jac's bathroom. Hadn't she had that pregnancy thing that wasn't a pregnancy, just before Christmas?

Jas shut the lid of the laptop and bolted up to the bathroom. She checked each cupboard individually, before getting to the back of the one nearest the door, the one that seemed to be reserved for eczema cream and baby wipes. Sitting at the back was a slim pink and white box. Jas pulled it out and checked the date. There were a couple of months until it officially expired, so Jas peed on the stick, in the way she'd seen people do on TV and in hospital a thousand times before but had never done so herself, and waited.

She waited longer than 3 minutes. She waited almost 10 before she pulled herself together and looked for the lines.

Two of them, clear as day. Pregnant.

 _Fuck._


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry these are quite rushed chapters! Hope you like them anyway x**

Jac returned home at half past 5, clutching the small and sticky hand of her daughter. She walked through the kitchen, expecting Jasmine to be in. After a lift encounter with Ms Wolfe, she was more than aware that Jasmine had called in sick. She'd seemed fine in the morning, and so Jac was spoiling for a fight. You don't throw a sicky on Jac Naylor's watch.

Jac ran through Emma's dinner-bath-bed routine almost on autopilot, shovelling mashed potato down her throat with efficiency, deciding her hair could wait one more day for another wash, and reading the Gruffalo as quickly as she dared.

Then she went downstairs and sat at the island to wait. She automatically reached for her Macbook to check her emails, and opened it to find herself face to face with a map of Holby. And a search bar reading "Pharmacy near Bowden Avenue".

Jac sat to think for a moment. What could Jas have needed so urgently that she'd had the nerve to use Jac's laptop to search for it?

Drawing a blank, she clicked her way to the browser history.

 _Am I pregnant?_ Jac let out a sigh. Of course that's what Jas needed a pharmacy for. A pregnancy test. She'd been sick this morning, and panicked. Obviously she'd just drunk too much coffee or something. Or caught some ghastly virus from the warzone that is AAU.

Jac kicked back to read her emails. Several useless eBay offers, ASOS flash sale, Mothercare vouchers, British Airways Executive Club statement. Nothing particularly interesting (although she noted with delight how her BA points were building up).

Jac, no matter how many Avios points she had, couldn't distract herself from Jasmine, couldn't get the idea out of her head. She'd only ever seen Jas in scrubs or big jumpers, so she had no idea if she looked pregnant or not. But God, what timing! Kicked out of her flat, as of yet no place to live. No money. All at the very start of a medical career. The stupid girl kept ruining things for herself at every turn, no matter how hard Jac tried to protect her.

As she was stewing, the front door was opened and shut, and Jasmine appeared, looking rather dishevelled.

"Jac-"

Jac spun to face her on the stool, and interrupted her.

"Are you pregnant?"

Jasmine's face crumpled, and she nodded, chin on her chest, eyes to the floor. When she looked up, Jac saw they were filled with tears.

"You stupid, idiotic-"Jac bit her lip to stop herself from launching a verbal attack at Jasmine. She hadn't wanted to believe it, but now she had to.

Counting to 10 to calm herself, she asked "How long?"

"Six months. Jac-"

"Six fucking months Jasmine! Christ! How didn't you know? Do you not have a bump? Did you not feel it moving? What about your-"

"Periods?" Jasmine cut her off before she had to hear Jac say it. "I thought it could be stress related. It's not exactly been an easy ride at Holby. Anyway, I'm on the pill, so I suppose I thought it was linked to that. I also assumed that the pill would have done its job, but apparently it hasn't."

"Six months." Jac moaned, sliding her head down onto her arms on the worktop. "Six whole months you've been pregnant and you didn't even know."

She sat up and eyed Jas suspiciously "By the time I was six months I looked like I had a space hopper attached to my waist. Are you sure it's six months?"

"Well that was the last time…you know."

Jac stopped talking to take it all in. Jas was actually pregnant, and not only was she pregnant, but she was two thirds of the way through. She was practically homeless, and had no funds to speak of. What the hell was she going to do?

"Have you booked a doctors' appointment?" she asked distractedly "They need to tell you when you're due so you can work out what on earth you're going to do. You're over the deadline for an abortion, obviously, but you could easily have it adopted…"

Jasmine's eyes flashed with fury.

"It is NOT going to be adopted. What if they can't find it parents? What if it ends up in care? Jac, you of all people should know that staying with a real parent is the better option!"

"Well it clearly wouldn't have been for me!" Jac shot back "Paula was an imbecile. She was too young when she fell pregnant, she was only twenty!"

"I'm twenty four and I'll be fine!"

"Jasmine, you have no money and nowhere to live. Tell me, what exactly is it about you that makes you think you have any chance of doing this? You're an F1. An F1!"

Jasmine stood, trembling, holding onto the edge of the worktop. Jac could see her legs wobbling, and realised what was about to happen. Jac was off her seat as fast as she could, but Jasmine tumbled to the floor before she could catch her.

The tears that had been threatening to spill from Jasmine's eyes fell as she did. Jac grabbed a box of tissues from the side, and leaned Jas against the island cupboards, next to a shelf of cookbooks that she never used. She took a tissue from the box, and delicately dabbed at Jas's cheeks, soaking up the tears as they fell, wiping the stains from her cheekbones.

They continued just like that for longer than Jac cared to think about. Jas let the tears fall, ripping at her fingernails, while Jac gently wiped them away. By the time Jas was soothed, she had her head against Jac's shoulder, while Jac stroked her hair away from her face.

Jac was the one to break the silence.

"So where did you go today if you weren't here?"

Jas sniffed "I went for a walk, to clear my head. I tried to go to the hospital, just to talk to someone about it. Mr T, maybe? But I just couldn't bring myself to go in. So I just walked instead."

"When was the last time you ate something?"

Jasmine screwed up her face and shook her head "I'm really not hungry."

"That might be why you fell, though. We need to keep you fed. There's more than one of you to consider now."

Jasmine stayed leaning against Jac for a while. They sat in companionable silence, Jac trying to work out what on earth she could make Jasmine eat. She'd been planning pork chops and roasted vegetables, but that was not an easy meal to force down when you don't feel like eating. Mashed potato and sausages, like she'd made for Emma?

Jac was interrupted from her thoughts by Jas.

"It gets worse Jac."

"I don't think it can get worse." Jac cracked a wry smile, but one look at Jas's sombre face wiped all traces of humour from her mind. What could possibly be worse than this?

"The baby, it's – it's Ollie's. Oliver Valentine's."


	6. Chapter 6

The following morning, Jas pulled the handle and smoothly swung open the door of Jac's car. She stepped out onto the concrete of the hospital car park, reached down into the footwell for her bag, and shut the door with a soft clunk.

As the women began the walk across the car park to the hospital building, Jas looked down at her outfit with an automaticity that betrayed her secret habit. Jasmine always noted what she was wearing and where she bought it, whenever she went outside. She used to read magazines where people were stopped in the street and photographed, and asked where their outfits were from, and had slipped into the habit of preparing herself for such an eventuality. Even in the hospital car park. Her pale pink Superstars were from ASOS, she remembered, and her utility jacket was from Beyond Retro. Her mom jeans were Levi's but she'd bought them second hand on Depop, and her pink t-shirt, with the slogan 'Girls Bite Back' around the collar, was from H&M. And her favourite, precious, soft grey leather bucket bag was from Fiorelli.

Jas turned to Jac and clocked what she was wearing. A long pale grey knitted coat, undoubtedly Zara, over navy and mustard yellow geometric print cigarette trousers (Jasmine was sure she'd seen them in H&M but couldn't process the thought that Jac would shop somewhere so un-sensible), and grey suede Doctor Marten's brogues. Jas wondered what Jac would say if she was stopped by Seventeen magazine and asked where her clothes were from. Mind your own business? I can't remember? Or fuck off, perhaps?

Jac and Jas had reached the building, and were watching the lift doors shut in front of them by the time either of them spoke. Jas had been building up the nerve to question the origins of Jac's trousers, but Jac had other ideas.

"Did you get those trousers at H&M?" Jas questioned, just as Jac began to speak.

"Have you spoken to Valentine yet?"

"Oh." Jas said, looking at the floor.

Jac sighed. "Yes I did."

Jas looked up and shot Jac a triumphant look "I knew it! My t-shirt is from there. Can you believe that one shop sells such sensible clothes at the same time as such fun ones?"

"Stop deflecting." Jac ordered "Have you or have you not told Oliver that you're pregnant?"

"Of course I haven't." Jas retorted crossly "When would I have had time to, between you finding out and now? It's just common sense."

Jac narrowed her eyes at Jas as the lift doors opened to reveal Darwin ward.

As they walked through to Jac's office, Mo greeted Jas.

"Jas-mataz! What are you doing here?"

"Doing some cover today, apparently your juniors are slacking." Jas joked.

"Well it's great to have you back!"

"Thanks Mo." Jas smiled, before following Jac, who'd been tapping her foot impatiently, round the nurse's station.

Once they were safely cocooned in the office, Jac turned on Jasmine.

"You have to tell him. Now."

Jas rolled her eyes and slumped her shoulders "Look, he's gone six months without knowing. A few more hours won't hurt."

"The only reason he hasn't known for six months is because you hadn't either!" Jac rubbed her temples before continuing "How am I supposed to work with him knowing that he's impregnated you and he doesn't even know it? How am I supposed to look him in the eye and know you're about to drop a bombshell that could destroy everything for him? Oh god, what's Zosia going to do?"

Jas stood and listened to Jac ranting. She had to admit that Jac had a point – how was anyone meant to spend a day working with someone when there was big news to share and they didn't know it yet? It would bubble up inside of her, and by the time she got to speak to him, it would come out wrong, at the wrong time, in front of the wrong people, and would be a disaster for all involved.

"Alright, alright, alright!" Jas held up her hand to silence Jac. "I'll talk to him now. Just please stop rambling on like some demented old lady."

Jac nodded mutely, before sitting down at her desk and shuffling together some paperwork. Jas stood in front of the desk, looking round at the office walls.

"What are you waiting for? Go." Jac gestured to the door.

"I just want to ask about that scan – was there a clot in that artery?" Jas pointed to the heart scan on Jac's screen.

"Get out." Jac glared at Jas until she backed meekly out of the door and onto the ward.

'Talk to Oliver' Jac had said. She'd made it sound so easy. Just say those two little words, to effectively ruin his life as he knows it.

Jas changed into her scrubs and trainers, and scraped her hair up into a ponytail, before heading over to the Nurse's Station to find out what she was supposed to be doing. As luck (or bad luck, she thought) would have it, Oliver was there, reading a file and tapping his nails against the worktop.

"Alright." Jas sidled up to him, hands in her pockets.

"Alright." Oliver said back, without looking up. Jas sighed. How the hell does anyone approach a conversation like this, with a person like that?

"Can I have a word?"

"You're having one." Ollie smirked, and then looked up at Jas with an easy grin "Sure. What can I do for you?"

"No, I mean in private."

Ollie stood, holding an arm out to usher Jas towards the locker room. Jas opened the door and immediately sat on the benches and stared at the floor. Now. Now is the time, she thought to herself. Come _on_ Jasmine.

Ollie shut the door and looked expectantly at her.

"Ollie, I… I, um… I'm…"

"Spit it out, Jas."

Jas took a deep breath. Why couldn't he have just guessed like Jac had? Men are useless.

"I'm pregnant."

Ollie looked at her quizzically, before grinning and reaching over for a hug "Congratulations! That's brilliant news, although I'm not sure why you insisted on telling me in here."

"No," Jas shrugged off his hug "I'm pregnant, and you're the father."

Jas watched as Ollie's face fell. It was his eyes first; the laughter lines faded and they widened slightly. Then the muscles that pulled his skin tight as he smiled, loosened. And finally the corners of his mouth dropped. It was like watching a slow motion video.

"What?" he said hoarsely "It can't be mine. There must be some mistake."

"Look, I haven't slept with anyone since we stopped seeing each other. It can't be anyone else's, its physically impossible."

"Oh god. Oh god oh god oh god." Ollie sank down onto the bench "But that was…that was _months_ ago!"

"Six months, to be precise."

"Six months…" Ollie ran a hand down his face, rubbing his eyes, before staring at Jas "You're six months pregnant?"

"Er, yes."

"Why didn't you tell me before?" Ollie's eyes glinted with anger, and Jas felt herself getting wound up.

"Don't jump to conclusions, Ollie, okay, I only found out yesterday myself!"

"How did you only find out yesterday?" he shouted "How can someone be pregnant for six months and not realise!"

"Get back to me when you've been pregnant and had some experience to base that off of!" Jas shouted back "I've had no obvious symptoms, and I've not put on any weight, so how was I supposed to know?"

"Well how did you eventually figure it out?" Oliver shot back, pacing over to the window. "There must have been something!"

"Nothing that couldn't have been explained away by stress." Jas said quietly, sitting back down.

Ollie carried on as though he hadn't heard her "What am I going to tell Zosia? Oh god, Zosia. Zosia doesn't want a baby."

Jas eyed him up before replying sharply "It's not Zosia's baby."

Ollie turned and stared at her "Of course it is. She's my fiancé."

"It's my baby, and it's your baby, but it is not Zosia's. Zosia can be as involved or uninvolved as she likes. You, to be honest, can be as involved or uninvolved as you like. I don't need any help."

Ollie screwed his face up and turned away from her "Oh don't be stupid, Jas. Babies are hard work, of course you need help."

"I don't!" Jas shouted, aware of how childish she sounded "I've got Jac!"

"Jac?" Ollie rounded the bench and sat back down. Jas could tell that Jac's involvement calmed him. "Jac knows?"

"Yes."

"And Jac has offered to help?"

"Not explicitly, but I know she would."

"Hmm." Ollie smirked, in spite of himself, before sighing. "I just can't believe this."

"Neither can I." Jas replied "There's a human being growing inside me and I didn't even notice."

Ollie chuckled. "That is blonde even by your standards."

Jas smiled back, before changing the subject. "What are you going to tell Zosia?"

"Obviously I'm going to tell her everything." Ollie replied, looking away "She deserves and needs to know."

"Do you want me to be there?"

"Oh god, no." Ollie stood. "That's possibly the worst idea you've ever had."

"Fair enough. Are we done?"

"Yep"

Jas headed over to the door, opened it, and stepped out into the ward.

"Jas?"

"Yeah?"

Ollie reached out a hand and held hers briefly.

"It's going to be okay. We've got this."

Jas smiled, and dropped his hand.

"I know."


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry this has been such a long time coming – it's been a hectic summer! I'm carrying on this story, because I'm gutted that Jac and Jas didn't get to have their sisterly relationship in the end, so I'm writing it the way I would have wanted it. Thanks for all the reviews! x**

At the end of her shift, Jac stretched her legs out under her desk, pointing her toes, and yawned. It always happened once she acknowledged the passing of time; tiredness only hit her when she stopped to breathe.

She shifted together the paperwork she'd been working on. It had to be completed and signed off by tomorrow, so she'd have to take it home. No chance of working late on the ward with Jas staying, and, Jac had realised, she actually wanted to leave. She'd been working on some things for Jasmine, and wanted to show her.

As Jac switched off the lights in the office and locked the door, she found herself thinking about the prospect of the baby. As a concept, a Jasmine-Oliver hybrid, it had seemed ridiculous, poorly timed, and a bit of a nuisance. But Jac had found herself thinking back to Emma's earliest days, when she'd been incubated and operated on and how although Jac struggled to bond, she'd had to fight hard every day not to rip out the feeding tubes, grab her precious baby, and run. She knew that feeling of inescapable, all-encompassing, immense love, how it bowled you over with its fierceness, and she wanted Jasmine to experience that. As she'd thought about it, she remembered exactly the feeling of holding a new-born - the damp, packed warmth of a tiny human – and, on a purely selfish level, wanted to experience that again too.

Jas was waiting in Pulse's, rubbing some imaginary mark off of her (impractical, Jac thought) pale pink shoes.

"Hiya!" Jas jumped up and smiled "How's your day been?"

"Fine." Jac led her sister out of the building and across the car park "And yours?"

"Yeah it was alright. Lots of vomit on AAU today apparently, so I'm glad I was on Darwin."

Jac wrinkled her nose in disgust, as the sisters reached the BMW.

"And did you-"

"Tell Ollie?" Jas rolled her eyes "You're a broken record. But yes, I did. And he was fine about it. Much more concerned about Zosia than about me."

Jac shrugged as she reversed out of the space "That's to be expected. She's got…issues."

"Still," Jas frowned out the window at the passing shops and houses "I'm carrying his child, and he had no questions about how I'm doing or how the baby is."

"Which is just as well, seeing as you don't know yourself yet."

Jas leant back in her seat and sighed "I'm not sure I want to know yet."

Jac stopped at a red light and turned to glare at her sister "It doesn't matter whether you want to or not. Your feelings on the matter are irrelevant. You've got to think about the bigger picture now." She turned to face the road again, and pulled away from the lights. "Which is why I've made a list of things you now have to do."

"What? A whole list?"

"Yes, there's loads to think about. Scans, health stuff, how you're going to work it out with Ollie…honestly, watching you two attempt to handle this will be like watching the chuckle brothers repaint the Sistine chapel."

"Good one. I bet you've been sitting on that all day."

Jac smirked over at Jas's scowl.

"Lighten up Jasmine. We're nearly home."

Jas allowed herself a secret smile at the inclusion in the home statement. "What's for dinner?"

"I don't know. It's your turn to cook."

Jas's smile faded "What? Why?"

"If we're going to do this housemate thing properly, you've got to pull your weight. At least until you get your own place. That means you also have to do laundry and clean the bathroom."

"You're worse than Morven. Move this, tidy that, why are your knickers on the toaster…"

Jac gave Jas a sharp look "If your underwear goes anywhere near an appliance that is not strictly laundry related, it will be burned."

Jas chuckled as they pulled into Jac's driveway. "Relax! It'll be fine!"

A little while later, after Jas had thrown together a questionable risotto, and Jac had phoned Emma at Jonny's to say goodnight, the two were relaxing on Jac's enormous sofas. Jac was on her third glass of rose, and Jas figured she was suitably sedated that she might be able to pop her biggest question yet.

"When the baby comes, can we just stay with you?"

Jac stopped giggling at Gavin and Stacey, which they'd left playing on Netflix in the background, and turned to stare at Jas.

"You've got to be kidding me."

Jas watched nervously as Jac pulled herself upright.

"Well not for long, obviously, it's just I have no idea what I'm doing."

Jac threw her head back and laughed throatily "No one has a fucking clue Jas. I didn't. You just have to figure it out as you go along."

"Please." Jas said, quietly, staring at her feet "I really need some help. Ollie will be next to useless, I can feel it in my bones."

Jac stopped smiling and reached out and patted Jas's leg comfortingly "I'll think about it. You reminded me, anyway. The list! I made you a list."

She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a crumpled sheet of paper, covered in neat writing.

"What's this?"

"The Bible!" Jac laughed to herself "No, seriously, it might as well be your bible. It's everything."

"Scans: where, when, is Ollie going, are you finding out gender… bloody hell Jac."

"It's everything you've got to think about, in the order you've got to think about it. Like finding the money to buy everything you need, and how to get cheap buggies."

"Thanks," Jas pocketed the list "I'll read it properly later."

"So are you going to find out?" Jac asked, conspiratorially.

Jas wrinkled her nose "I think so. Had enough surprises with this."

Jac nodded "Sensible economically too. Why buy all neutral stuff when you could buy what you actually want for the kid? And you can pick a name faster."

"How the hell do you name a human child? How do you choose a word that will define them for their whole life?"

"I picked Emma because I was fostered once by a family with a daughter my age called Emma."

"I think it's a boy. I like the name Rocco."

"Rocco!" Jac snorted mid gulp, shooting rose out of her nose and across the blanket over her lap.

"What?" Jas asked defensively "It's modern, it's cute, and it reminds me of racoons!"

"It's horrible. Sounds like the sort of boy who'd get a spray tan and go on Love Island."

"I love Love Island! That would be such a proud parent moment, wouldn't it?"

"If Emma ever goes on Love Island, I'll disown her." Jac said, seriously.

"If Emma ever goes on Love Island, I'll adopt her. What a girl."

"She's great, isn't she?" Jac smiled fondly.

"You've done a good job Jac, honestly."

"Nah," Jac brushed her hair from her face "It's all Jonny. He's brilliant with her. And she adores him."

"She obviously adores you too. She's always so keen to show you her drawings and give you hugs. She wouldn't do that if she didn't love you to pieces."

"True. And what's not to love?" Jac winked.

Jas sat back and marvelled at her sister, as Jac turned her attention back to the Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special. Wine Jac was a laugh – who'd have known? And she'd made Jas the list. Although she didn't want Jac to know, Jas was touched by the gesture. It meant a lot that she obviously cared about the baby already. And Jas knew she'd be able to convince Jac to let her live there. She'd just have to follow the neat freak rules.

"Jac." Jas said, intent on questioning how often she'd be forced to cook before she set her heart on moving in properly. With no answer, she glanced over at her sister.

Jac was slumped against the arm of the sofa, wine glass tilting dangerously over the edge, sound asleep.

It would have to wait until tomorrow.


End file.
